Watch It Wednesday #7

The proper disposal of garbage is a huge issue facing the world. Landfills take up a lot of space, can leak toxic chemicals into surrounding soil and water systems, and they emit millions of tonnes of greenhouse gases as trash decomposes. Take a look at how one of the largest cities on Earth, New York City, went from dumping trash into the ocean in the 1930’s, to trucking trash to far away landfills, to a sophisticated waste-to-energy system today. While this incredible technology reduces the CO₂e of New York’s trash, the best thing for New Yorkers to do (and all of us!) is to minimize the amount of waste we produce by reducing our consumption, reusing materials, and properly recycling materials where possible.